11-Month-Old Sleep Schedule: Naps & Wake Windows

Every 11-month-old sleep schedule looks different, but generally, around 13-14 hours of total sleep per day.

But what does that look like?

You need a lot of energy as the mama of an 11-month-old baby.

As your little one becomes ever more mobile, they’re finding plenty of mischief to get involved in.

And that means both of you will benefit from an 11-month-old sleep schedule that gives you the right amount of time to rest and recharge.

But, of course, every mama and every baby is different ‒ and every day brings different challenges.

So, while we hope you’ll find some inspiration for a helpful 11-month-old baby sleep schedule in this article, don’t worry if your routine doesn’t always work out as planned.

So let’s get sleeping!

In this article: 📝

What does an 11-month-old sleep schedule look like?

Very generally speaking, an 11-month-old sleep schedule could be:

• An early start to the day
  
• Wake window
  
• Morning nap
  
• Another wake window
  
• Afternoon nap (the days of three naps are likely behind you now)
  
• Final wake window
  
• Bedtime

How long should an 11-month-old be awake between naps?

What about wake windows for an 11-month-old?

Ideally, you’ll be aiming to give your baby about 3 to 4 hours of awake time after getting up in the morning, between their naps, and before bed.

Usually the morning wake window tends to be the shortest and they will gradually increase throughout the day to build up sleep pressure before bed.

During those periods of wakefulness, give them plenty of opportunities to burn off their energy with fun activities ‒ it will help them sleep better later and it’s great for their mental and physical development.

How much sleep do 11-month-old babies need?

Most 11-month-old babies need about 13-14 hours of sleep per day in total.

So an effective 11-month-old schedule for sleep will take that into account.

Try to allow for 10 to 12 hours of sleep in the nighttime and 2 to 3 hours during the day (split into two nap times).

If your baby seems to need a little less sleep than that, don’t worry all babies have unique sleep needs.

The important thing is that they get at least 10 hours of sleep at night.

How many naps should an 11-month-old take?

So how many naps for an 11-month-old?

Well, an 11-month-old nap schedule tends to include 2 naps during the day, usually lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.

The first nap usually happens about 2.5-3 hours after your baby has woken up in the morning.

Then you would leave 3 to 3.75 hours between waking up from the morning nap and starting the afternoon nap.

So an 11-month-old baby nap schedule might look something like this:

• 6:30 am Wake up from night-time sleep
  
• 9:30 to 10:30 am Morning nap
  
• 2:00 to 3:30 pm Afternoon nap
  
• 7:00 pm Bedtime routine
  
• 7:30 pm Sleep

At this age, your baby might start resisting one of their naps, but most babies will still need 2 naps at this age.

If you find that your baby is fighting their second nap, you can try capping (shortening) their morning nap so they’re tired enough to take a second nap.

Most babies aren’t ready to reduce to one nap until they’re between 13-18 months old.

Although there are some cases where it could happen earlier, ideally, they’ll drop the morning nap as opposed to the afternoon nap.

Dropping the second nap of the day will leave too long of an awake window between the morning nap and bedtime leading to overtiredness and difficulty sleeping at night.

If you don’t want to shorten their morning nap, you can instead try extending the periods that they’re awake between naps.

This should help them to burn off more energy and make it easier for them to sleep during naptimes but will likely result in a later bedtime, which is okay if it works for your family.

How long should 11-month-old nap?

Each daytime nap for an 11-month-old may last anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on their sleep needs.

How much nighttime sleep for an 11-month-old?

The average for 11-month-olds is about 10 to 12 hours of nighttime sleep in the evening.

How much daytime sleep for an 11-month-old?

As for daytime naps, between two naps, each lasting about 45 minutes to 2 hours, you’re looking at about 2-3 hours of daytime sleep for your 11-month-old depending on your baby’s sleep needs.

What time should an 11-month-old go to bed?

There’s no one right answer here.

The ideal bedtime for an 11-month-old will be whatever time lets them get their recommended 10 to 12 hours of night sleep.

It’s simple to work this out: just count forward 12 to 14 hours from the time your baby wakes up in the morning.

For example, a baby who wakes up at 6:30 am will need to go to bed at 6:30 to 8:30 pm to get the optimum amount of sleep.

And you can also factor in your schedule, too ‒ if you want baby to wake up later in the day (while still getting their daytime naps in), then a later bedtime could work best for you.

Is there a sleep regression at 11 months?

Ugh. Now for 11-month sleep regressions.

Sorry to say, they can happen.

Sleep regressions can happen at any time during your little one’s first year (and beyond).

So you might have survived one or two of these already by this point.

But just to recap: a sleep regression is where a baby’s sleeping pattern gets disrupted.

They might be fine one day, and the next they’re refusing to nap or waking up a lot during the night.

But what causes a sleep regression?

Well, it could be linked to physical discomfort, such as teething.

Or, often, it happens because your baby is going through an important developmental progression.

If they’re just learning their first words, for example, their brain can be really active, so it’s hard for them to switch off at naptime or bedtime.

While sleep regressions aren’t fun for either of you, they are temporary.

Usually, they’ll be over within 2-6 weeks.

If the disruption lasts longer than that, you might want to check in with your pediatrician to rule out any health issues that could be behind it.

Why is my 11-month-old waking up at night?

Ah, a question asked by so many of us!

While some 11-month-olds can sleep through the night for 10 to 12 hours at a stretch (at least some of the time), most still need a little help to stay settled.

Whether you’re hoping to get your baby to sleep through the night for the first time, or you’re in the middle of an 11-month-old sleep regression, here are some tips for a peaceful night:

• Stick to two naps, but keep them short and sweet. As we saw above, 11-month-olds still need their two naps per day to keep them well-rested. But it’s a good idea not to let the naps go on too long ‒ 1 to 1.5 hours for each nap is plenty. Very long naps may mean your baby is less tired at night and finds it hard to sleep for the full 11 to 12 hours.
  
• Use the crib for at least 1 nap a day. Making the crib a regular part of your baby’s sleep routine, day and night, will help them to associate it as a safe place to be. This may help them to settle more easily once they’re there. (Of course, naps on the go are totally okay if they work for you and your baby.)
  
• Continue with the bedtime routine. No doubt you’re an expert at the bedtime routine now: the bath and the nursery rhymes are lined up. But if your baby’s not sleeping well and you’re both cranky, it can be tempting to let the routine fall to one side. Try to keep going with it if you can, though ‒ it may help your baby get through this rough patch more quickly. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, it can be three quick things you do each night in the same order.
  
• Avoid screens in the build-up to bedtime. Blue light is like a wake-up call for your baby’s brain, so best to put the tablet away a couple of hours before bedtime.
  
• Create a calming sleep environment. Make sure the place where your baby sleeps is dark enough (use blackout drapes if needed), has a good temperature, and just the right amount of quiet (your baby might prefer white noise instead of total silence).
  
• Make sure baby’s not too hot or too cold. The wrong temperature can mean baby finds it hard to stay asleep at night. Dressing baby for sleep should also take into consideration the temperature of the room around them.

There you have it ‒ all there is to know about 11-month-old sleep schedules!

Why not see if the other mamas on Peanut have their own sleep tips to share?

Sweet dreams.

🛏️ Read next: What’s the Best 12-Month-Old Sleep Schedule?